


First Aid

by lyriumlovesong



Series: Stardust [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Akksul shooting Jaal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gunshot Wounds, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Jaal's scar, Self Confidence Issues, The Roekaar, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 08:26:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13383981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyriumlovesong/pseuds/lyriumlovesong
Summary: When Jaal is shot by the leader of the Roekaar, it leaves an open wound--hisandRyder's.





	First Aid

“Jaal’s been shot.”  
  
Liam Kosta’s voice over the comm jarred Suvi out of a daydream. She and Kallo both sat bolt upright from their slouched positions. Behind them, loud echoing footsteps told them other crew members were sprinting across the walkway to the bridge.   
  
“Say again?” Kallo asked, blinking his wide eyes.

“Akksul shot Jaal.”  
  
The Salarian’s breath caught in his throat, and he looked across the bridge to Suvi, fear evident on his face.   
  
“How bad?” Cora’s voice asked behind them. She and Drack had just appeared from the aft of the ship.   
  
“He’s fine, it’s just a graze,” Liam said, and the whole ship seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “We’re boarding the shuttle now to come back to Pelaav. Just make sure Lexi is ready to do a quick exam. And to debrief with Ryder. She’s pretty shaken.”   
  
On board the Angaran shuttle, it was a quiet ride. Jaal mused over his friend’s betrayal, his expression flitting back and forth between anger and sadness as he winced against the burning on his cheek. Aisling’s face was a mask of guilt. Liam noticed that the two of them were sitting close together with hands intertwined, and for the first time, their public display of affection made him feel glad instead of envious. They both needed the comfort of one another at the moment.   
  
By the time they made it back to the Tempest, the entire crew was waiting in the cargo bay of the ship. Aisling felt immediately overwhelmed as the three of them were bombarded with questions.   
  
“Jaal, are you okay?”   
  
“What happened?”   
  
“Where is Akksul now?” 

Liam put his hands up and raised his voice above the tumult.  
  
“I’ll explain what happened in a minute. But Jaal needs medical attention, and Ryder just needs some space. Everyone calm down and let them through, and I’ll fill you in in the galley.”   
  
Aisling shot him a grateful look as she slipped her arm into Jaal’s and led the way to the medbay.   
  
Lexi T’Perro, the ship’s doctor, was busily preparing an exam bed for Jaal when they walked in. As soon as she saw them, she straightened, looking at him with concern.   
  
“Jaal,” she said, gesturing toward the bed. “Please, come sit so that I can look you over.”   
  
Jaal looked mildly irritated but obliged.   
  
“It’s only a graze,” he said, wincing a little as he formed the words. A large wound on his cheek stood out in stark contrast to his pale flesh, dark blue blood dried and crusted along the scorch mark. “No need to make a fuss.”   
  
“How are you feeling?” the Asari asked, using a handheld scanner to assess his vitals.

“Fine,” said Jaal with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “It’s just a bit tender.”  
  
Lexi set about examining the wound as Aisling stood by, watching quietly.   
  
“What kind of a weapon was it?”   
  
“Pistol,” Jaal grunted as she gently touched his cheek with one gloved hand. “Standard ammo.”   
  
“And this is the only wound?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
Lexi straightened again, making notes in a datapad as she talked.   
  
“Well, the round cauterized the wound as it created it, so the bleeding was minimal. If you want, I can debride it and stitch it together a bit more neatly. Would probably take longer to heal, but you might not have as big of a scar.”  
  
“If it would be purely cosmetic,” Jaal said, “then no, thank you.” The Angaran gestured to the large chunk that was missing from one of the folds on the other side of his face. “I have no objection to scars. Clearly.” 

“As you like,” replied Lexi. “I am going to recommend that you apply a special cream to the wound twice a day until it heals.”  
  
She crossed to a nearby set of drawers and took out a small white tube.  
  
“This should help prevent any infection and speed up the process. Pathfinder, perhaps you could help do the honors?”  
  
Aisling looked over at her, surprised.  
  
“M--me?” she stammered, looking uneasy. “I haven’t got any medical training. Shouldn’t _you_ …?”  
  
“If you can smear peanut butter on a sandwich, you can do this,” Lexi said, reassuringly. She handed the tube to Aisling along with a clean exam glove. “I just need to file an incident report and make sure this gets logged right away. It would really help me out if you could do this. Just be gentle, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”  
  
She made her way to the other side of the room and sat down pointedly, facing a computer terminal. The click of a keyboard soon followed as she began making her report.  
  
Aisling shot a nervous glance down at the glove in her hands.  
  
“It’s okay,” said Jaal. Aisling looked back up to see him giving her a gentle smile. “I trust you.”  
  
She removed her armored gauntlets and washed her sweaty hands at a sink nearby, then slid the exam glove over her fingers. Walking over to Jaal, she squeezed a bit of a white, medicinal-smelling cream onto her pointer finger and began to apply it to Jaal’s cheek with a gentle touch. He flinched a bit at her touch as he breathed in her scent--sweat mixed with the unmistakable smell of Havarl soil, covering a base note of something light and floral.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice, pulling her hand away. “I’ve never done this on anyone else before.”  
  
“It’s not you,” he said, trying to reassure her. He put his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. “It’s a fresh wound; it would hurt no matter who tended to it. You’re doing fine.”  
  
She took a deep breath and returned to the task, smearing the paste evenly over the wound.  
  
She was leaning in very close, and Jaal watched her eyes as she focused on her task. Ordinarily bright and inquisitive, today they were lined with worry, and something else.  
  
“You’re blaming yourself,” he said quietly, the low rumble of his voice heavy with empathy. It wasn’t a question.  
  
“I shouldn’t have let him get that far,” Aisling said. Her voice sounded choked, and angry. “He could have killed you, Jaal. And I just _stood_ there.”  
  
“Because I _asked_ you to,” he replied. “I needed you to trust me, and you _did_ , Aisling.”  
  
She silently took the glove off and capped the tube of cream again, setting them down and looking at her hands.  
  
“If you had killed Akksul, made him a martyr, the Roekaar would only have been spurred on. Now they see how misguided he has become. They watched him shoot one of his own. His betrayal is inescapable. You did the right thing.”  
  
“It could have gone so badly,” Aisling said, and she looked up at him with eyes that now sparkled with unspilled tears. “When I think of what could have happened…”  
  
“Aisling,” Jaal said, placing one of his hands on her cheek. She flushed, and the tinge of red washing over her skin brought the ghost of a smile to his lips. “You have trusted me at every turn, whenever I have asked, and even sometimes when I haven’t. You saved the Angarans at the Kett Base on Voeld, even when the Moshae herself urged you not to. You followed me without question when I needed help to save my brothers and sister. And even when it seemed dire, you did as I asked. Have you _any_ idea how much it means to me to know that you trust me so implicitly?” And here a look of guilt crossed the Angaran’s own face. “Especially after how wary I was of you when I arrived. I did not treat you with kindness at first.”

“After what the Kett have done, who could blame you?”  
  
“ _No_.” Jaal’s voice was firm, and he pursed his lips. “That’s not an excuse. If we are to share this galaxy and learn from one another, if our cultures are to coexist, we must not adopt an outlook of suspicion, treating every new species we meet as though they might be a new looming evil. We must open ourselves to _trust_ , the way you have for me. Because with that kind of trust comes hope, and without hope, we cannot win. You embody that hope as Pathfinder. It is a title you wear so well.”   
  
Aisling looked away, fidgeting with the tube in her hands.   
  
“I wish I had as much faith in myself as everyone else seems to.”   
  
“It is not unfounded faith, Stardust. You continue to prove us right.”   
  
She blushed even deeper at his term of endearment, a small smile forming on her lips. Jaal gave her hand another squeeze, then stood with a grunt.   
  
“I could use some sleep, and then I should write my mothers. They will be wanting a full account of what happened today. I shall see you at dinner.”   
  
Aisling watched him walk away.   
  
“‘Bye, Jaal. Have a good nap.”   
  
Conveniently, Lexi seemed to finish her report just as Jaal exited. She stood and crossed the room, hiding her own grin.   
  
“See, Ryder, that wasn’t too difficult,” she said, holding her hand out for the tube of cream. Aisling dropped it into her palm and then shrugged.   
  
“No, I guess not.”   
  
“He’s right, you know. You’re a competent and capable leader. You owe yourself more credit.” She put the tube back in its drawer and turned back to Aisling. “Do you need to talk some more about what happened?”   
  
“No. No, I… I think I’ll be okay now.”   
  
“Good. Go and get some rest yourself, Pathfinder. I’ll be available if you change your mind.”   
  
As Aisling left the medbay, Lexi allowed herself to smile openly.

Sometimes, she knew, being a doctor meant letting her patients heal themselves, and one another.  
  
  



End file.
